Drapery pleat forming and supporting assembly



s. WEISBERG 3,399,712

DRAPERY PLEAT FORMING AND SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY Sept 3, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 10, 1966 INVENTOR.

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Sept. 3, 1968 3,399,712

DRAPERY PLEAT FORMING AND SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY s. WEISBERG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, 19 66 3,399,712 DRAPERY PLEAT FORMING AND SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY Sidney Weisberg, Maplewood, N.J., assignor to Worthy Products Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 533,332 7 Claims. (Cl. 160-348) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drapery pleat forming and supporting assembly in which a plurality of spaced pins are swingably secured to a plurality of elongated fin members. The pins are received between the fins when the assembly is in the operative position so that individual pleats supported for their entire length are formed in the drapery.

This invention relates to drapery hardware and particularly to devices for forming and supporting pleats at the top of a curtain or drape.

It is well known to sew a tape having a series of spaced pockets therein along the upper portion of a drape and to thereafter support the drape by means of the said pockets in a series of pleats by various types of pins. The pins are usually made in the form of a comb the extending detents of which are slipped into successive pockets to hold the pleat in the desired shape. A hook is also formed as part of the comb for attaching the drape toa curtain rod.

Previously known devices, however, do not produce uniform pleats in the drape nor do they prevent the pleat from falling forward or sagging after a period of time. Following washing, and the loss of sizing in the drape material, the pleats have a further tendency to sag and present an unsatisfactory appearance.

Summary The drapery pleat forming device according to the present invention employs a plurality of spaced parallel pins secured together at one end and a pleat forming member consisting of a plurality of spaced fins secured together and swingably attached to the pins at their secured end. The pins enter the spaces between adjacent fins and thereby form and support the drapery material for the entire length of the pleat.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drapery pleater which will eliminate the shortcomings of prior art devices.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drapery pleater which will enable persons relatively unskilled in pleating draperies to achieve highly professional looking results.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drapery pleater of simplified construction and design.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drapery pleater which can be applied to a drape quickly and without need for special tools.

A feature of the present invention is its use of a plurality of spaced pin members for engaging the drape, hingedly secured to a plurality of spaced fins for supporting the pleats.

Another feature of the present invention is its use of an adjustable hook member for bringing the top of the drapery into close proximity with the ceiling.

A further feature of the present invention is its use of slidable pins to facilitate insertion into a drapery pocket.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof ice are illustrated several embodiments of the invention, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in rear elevation of a portion of a drapery and a pleater made in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the pleater in its inserted position.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view, somewhat enlarged, taken on lines 33 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view in side elevation partially broken away of the drapery pleater shown in FIGURES 1, 2, and 3.

FIGURE 5 is a somewhat isometric view of another form of drapery pleater made in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the pleater shown in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing still another embodiment of the present invention in which fins are employed.

FIGURE 8 is a somewhat isometric view on an enlarged scale of the hook member shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 9 is a somewhat isometric view of a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 10 is a somewhat isometric view of the pleater shown in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a somewhat isometric view of a hook member used in conjunction with the pleaters shown in FIGURES 9 and 10.

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken on lines 1212 in FIGURE 10 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 13 is a somewhat isometric view showing still another pleater similar to that shown in FIGURE 7 but employing elongated fins.

The invention consists in one form of the invention of a device in which a plurality of spaced pins are swingably secured to a finned body member in such a manner that, when swung into position, the pins lie adjacent each side of the fins. The fins are spaced from each other and serve to support the pleated portion of the drapery. The finned portion is also provided with a hook receiving structure whereby the entire assembly can be secured to a curtain rod.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1, 2, and 3, 15 indicates a drape or curtain, to the top of which there has been sewed the well known tape 16 having a plurality of elongated spaced pockets 18 therein. The pockets 18 are opened at their bottoms 19 to receive therein the spaced pins 20 of a pleater 21. It will be noted that the pockets 18 are spaced apart a distance greater than the space between adjacent pins 20. As a result, when each of the pins has been inserted within a pocket 18, a pleat Will be formed in the tape 16 and consequently in the drape 15.

The pins 20 as best shown in FIGURE 1 consist of a plurality of elongated members secured together in parallel spaced relationship at their bottoms by a cross member 22. The pins are further swingably secured to the bottom of a finned member 23. The finned member 23 which consists of spaced fins 24 and a vertical wall 25 to which the fins are secured also serves to support the drapery and secure it to a curtain rod. The fins 24 are substantially parallel to each other but may be flared slightly as indicated at 26 in FIGURES 1 and 2 for decorative effects.

Once the pins 20 have been slipped into the pockets 18 and the finned member 23 swung into place in the manner shown in FIGURE 2, the pleats 27 formed in the drapery 15 are supported by the fins 24 as shown in FIGURE 3. This support ensures that the pleats will remain upright and uniform at all times. The rigidity of the pleats is de- 3 pendent upon the support of the fins 24 rather than the stiffness of the tape 16.

The central fin 24 may be extended beyond the wall 25 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 to form a hook receiving member 28. Since it is important that the drapery 15 be supported close to the ceiling in many instances, or high enough to hide the supporting rod 45, the hook receiving member 28 is provided with a series of L shaped slots 29 to receive a hook 30 best shown in FIGURE 8. The hook 30 is made in the form of a small U shaped bracket 31 adapted to embrace the hook receiving member 28. A small transverse pin 32 in the bracket 31 fits within the L shaped slots 29 and an outwardly extending hook portion 33 secured to the bracket 31 completes the hook assembly. As shown in FIGURE 4 the hook assembly 30 may be moved up or down and engaged with any desired slots 29 to bring the drapery 15 into its proper position.

Referring to FIGURE 5 there is shown still another embodiment of the present invention, in which the pins 34 are slidably carried within a channel shaped bracket member 35. The bracket 35 also carries a hook 36 for engagement with a curtain rod 45. The bottom of the pins 34 shown in FIGURE 5 are bent as indicated at 37 to facilitate the operation of the pleater and to prevent the pins from coming out of the bracket 35. In this form of the invention all but the first pin is pulled downwardly before insertion into the tape 16. The first pin 34 is slipped into the first pocket and a pleat formed, thereby bringing the second pocket into alignment with the second pin 34. The second pin is then slid upwardly through the bracket 35 into the second pocket 18. In this manner, successive pins engage successive pockets until the pleat is formed. This form of pleater overcomes one of the objections of prior art pleaters in which the pins are rigidly secured in place resulting in bending of the pins as the pleating operation is carried out.

The pleater shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 may be provided with fins 38 as shown in FIGURE 7. The fins 38 are secured to the bracket 35 and extend outwardly therefrom in the direction of the drapery 15. The fins 38 further enter the folds of the pleat in much the same manner as was described in connection with FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 and for the same purpose, namely to support the said pleats.

The embodiment shown in FIGURES 9-11 employs the finned member 23 described in connection with FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 and the pins 20. However, in this embodiment, the vertical wall 25 is provided with a series of spaced openings 39 adapted to receive the ends 40 of the hook member 41 illustrated in FIGURES 10 and 11. The spaced engaging ends 40 of the hook member 41 provide a stable support for the finned member 23 and may be shifted from one set of openings 39 to another to provide the proper height for the drapery. In this embodiment, the finned member 23 is also provided with an embossing 22a on the outermost fins 24 to lock the pins 20 into place once they are disposed within the pockets and the finned member swung into position. In all other respects the operation of the pleater shown in FIGURES 9, 10, and 11 is the same as that described in connection with FIG- URES l, 2, and 3.

FIGURE 13 illustrates still another form of the present invention similar in construction to that shown in FIG- URES 5, 6 and 7 except that fins 38 are greatly elongated and correspond more closely to the fins shown in FIG- URES 8 and 9. The elongated fins 38 are riveted to the channel shaped bracket 35 at the bottom thereof and the central fin extends rearwardly as indicated at 44 and is 4 provided with a plurality of spaced L shaped slots 29. The hook member 30 shown in FIGURE 8 may be applied to the slots in the pleater of FIGURE 13 in the same manner as was hereinabove described. In this embodiment the pleats are formed around the fins and the pins slid upwardly into the pockets after the pleats are so formed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a highly simplified drapery pleater which will retain the pleated drape in its pleated shape for long periods of time and without reliance upon the stiffness of the drapery material. The drapery pleaters are easy to install, do not require a large number of individual pieces to be assembled, and can be inserted and removed from the drapery with ease.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A drapery pleat forming and supporting assembly comprising a plurality of spaced pins, a common supporting cross member for said pins, and a pleat supporting member comprising elongated spaced fins substantially co-extensive in length with said pins and a common supporting wall for said fins swingably secured to the said spaced pins whereby individual fins can be moved into position between adjacent pins.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the cross member is disposed at the bottom of the pins and the fins extend outwardly of the supporting wall in the same direction.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which the cross member is disposed at the bottom of the pins, the central fin extends on both sides of the supporting wall and is provided on one of its extending portions with a plurality of hook receiving openings.

4. A device according to claim 1 in which at least two of the fins are outwardly flared and embossed to engage the pins.

5. A drapery pleat forming and supporting assembly comprising a transverse bracket, a plurality of spaced pins slidably carried in said bracket normal thereto and in parallel alignment, and a hook member carried by the said bracket and extending rearwardly of the pins.

6. A device according to claim 5 in which the bracket is provided with upstanding spaced fin members between the pins.

7. A device according to claim 6 in which the hook member is coupled to a rearwardly extending portion of the central fin member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,711,304 4/1929 Beste 348 2,544,516 3/1951 Walters 160-348 2,552,922 5/1951 Andreou 160-348 2,623,583 12/1952 Handley 160-348 2,765,844 10/1956 K-uddes 160348 2,796,928 6/1957 Bernhard et al. l60-348 2,901,795 9/ 1959 Graber 24-81 2,996,117 8/1961 Roberts 160-348 3,119,444 1/1964 Polkosnik 160348 3,191,665 6/1965 Rosenbaum et al. 160348 3,261,065 7/ 1966 Romano 160348 X DAVID J. W1LLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

